14 July 2005

32 dead as bomber attacks children

Thirty-two people, most of them children, were killed yesterday when a suicide bomber exploded his car beside a convoy of American soldiers handing out sweets in a Baghdad suburb.

The blast left the street covered in pools of blood, mangled bicycles and the corpses of the young, many still clutching blue-wrapped chocolate bars.

An Iraqi woman wails in anguish after the blast

Two houses partially collapsed, reportedly killing a family of seven, and another building was set on fire in one of the worst outrages the city has witnessed this year.

A total of 31 people were wounded in the explosion, many of them also children, and an American soldier was among the dead.

Moments before, locals said, the street had been filled with the sound of shouting and laughter as the youngsters, most aged between six and 13, excitedly surrounded the line of US Humvees.

The US military has had far more success in gaining trust from the city's young than its adults, not least because Baghdad's children know the shout of "Hey, Mister" or simply "Hello" is often rewarded with a treat.

This time the children of the city's Jedidah district thought they were in particular luck.

The convoy, dispatched to look for a suspected car bomb, had piles of sweets and key-rings featuring a smiley face in a baseball cap.

Word spread, drawing more children to the spot.

"My friend Abbas ran out," said Amer Hamad, 13. "I shouted at him to wait for me but by then he was already on the street.

"It was then the car came from a side street and blew up."

The dead were taken to Kindi hospital, where small, wooden coffins were laid out in the courtyard.

Mothers ripped open their black robes, threw themselves on the ground, wailed in anguish and slapped their faces.

Abu Mohammed's son had shrapnel lodged in his head but was alive. "All the rest of his friends died," said Mr Mohammed.

Hana Ali had already checked several of the city's hospitals looking for her 11-year-old son. Then she found his body at the bomb site.

The people of Baghdad had until now thought they could no longer be shocked by the bombings.

Most are received with a shake of the head or black humour. But yesterday there was palpable disgust at the crime and anger at those who had committed it.

"Children are the most innocent," said Henan Hafidh, who has two sons. "That is no Muslim who did this. It is evil. I feel so strongly for the loss to their families."

Last September 34 children were among 41 Iraqis killed when three car bombers attacked an American convoy on a busy street.

But yesterday was the first time children had been so clearly visible around an intended target.

Major Russ Goemaere, a US military spokesman, said: "The terrorist made a deliberate decision to attack one of our vehicles. He undoubtedly saw the children around the Humvee as he attacked."

Attacking children makes no sense and doesn't advance anyone's cause. The act defies all logic. Children are innocents not even old enough to understand their place in the world. What was the Iraqi bomber thinking? MommyCool.com notes, "If there were piles of shiny, golden coins worth millions and billions of dollars, would a suicide bomber stop his mission on the street to gaze at the potential of the loot? He could use the gold to buy many pleasures. He would not have to be a suicide bomber." Instead, children are dead and now families are suffering.

Children are innocents not even old enough to understand their place in the world. What was the Iraqi bomber thinking?

Which is exactly why I , for one , am grateful for the fact that the British and US bombs dropped from 10,000 feet on Iraq were 'smart-bombs' ie bombs which refused to explode if they sensed children in the vicinity . Thank God for modern technology .